Victoria Falls

At 4 am we heard a hippo that sounded very nearby. We didn’t go out of the deck to check but knew that it was close. When we went outside at 6 am we saw hippo tracks under the deck and along the side of our tent. It was obvious the Horace the hippo had visited.

Zambezi River with Victoria Falls in the distance

We went to breakfast at 7 am and learned that we could have the continental breakfast or we could order a plated meal. We all decided on the plated breakfast, Cindy and I had eggs Benedict while Mary and Mark had the pancake tower. We all enjoyed the meal.

At 8:30 we met Chiyeso at the boat ramp who took us to the mainland where we met Phixon, who will be our guide for the rest of our time here at Sindibezi Island Lodge. We got into one of the Bushtracks vans to go to Victoria Falls.

Our tent at Sindabezi Island Camp

As we drove toward Victoria Falls, we saw many people walking along the road. Some were wearing western clothing while others were dressed in traditional African attire. Some women were carrying baskets on their heads; others were pushing wheeled carts. The predominant traffic was men on bicycles with heavy and bulky loads. Agricultural products like sweet potatoes and corn are twice as expensive in Zimbabwe as they are in Zambia. The opposite is true for products like cooking oil and detergent being more expensive in Zambia. Merchants will haul their crops to Zimbabwe to sell then make the return trip with products from Zimbabwe to sell in Zambia.

Victoria Falls

At the falls, Phixon took care of our admission then gave us rain stickers since the spray from the falls can be like rain. We walked along the edges of the canyon and photographed the rainbows in the spray. We laughed as the baboons along the path alternately groomed each other and squabbled. As we walked across the Knife Edge Bridge, the spray was like a torrent of rain. The narrow bridge would be a interesting crossing at any time but with the torrent of water from the spray of Victoria Falls, it was an adventure. Although we were wearing slickers, we were soaked. The strong wind blowing in the canyon drove the water into us all. While walking, we met a nice young couple from Nashville. Once across the bridge, we had pleasant conversation as we walked around the rim of the falls.

Victoria Falls

We walked over to the dock where we would take a boat to Livingstone Island. The island is named for Dr. David Livingstone who was the first European to see Victoria Falls. Dr. Livingstone was a missionary in Africa bringing Christianity to the natives. He lived on the island from 1850 until he died of malaria in 1873. His legacy appears to continue to flourish since Zambia is almost 96% Christian, many of who attend church regularly.

Mary & Steve at Victoria Falls

The small boats have two well maintained outboard motors since we were only slightly upstream from the falls. A gentleman from Guatemala joined us of the boat. He was in Zambia for a conference of Rotarians. He was very pleasant, and we were happy to have him join us. We were issued slickers again as well as large towels. It made us feel easier that the small boats had two motors since a powerless boat would be dashed over the 355 foot drop of Victoria Falls.

Omega, a Green Safaris guide at Victoria Falls, walked us through the mud to the point where people pay to be hung over the falls. The way it works is that you lie down in the water as it is pouring over the falls as two strong young men hold you by the ankles. We took several group and individual photos of the falls and the rainbows in the mist. The Guatemalan gentleman decided that he would do it, so he changed into bathing trunks and walked to the fall’s edge. He was smiling the who time but later reported that he was terrified. We sat in folding chairs while being pelted by the wind and spray. The couple we met from Nashville also hung over the falls’ edge.

Mark & Cindy at Victoria Falls

At 1 pm we walked to the dining tent where we had lunch with several other groups. The tent was very loud with people talking across the room and several languages being spoken. The meal was very good with tomato coconut soup and a main course of chicken on a polenta cake and vegetables on the side. Dessert was a poppyseed muffin with vanilla ice cream.

We walked back to the registration area where we did a survey and prepared for the trip back to Sindabezi Island Lodge. We were wet and tired so a shower and clean clothes sounded good.

The outdoor shower was fine. There was plenty of hot water, so we washed our soggy muddy shoes. We walked around the island some and had a drink in the pavilion as Mary read Chef Paul’s cookbook. The book collected recipes from the chefs in all the camps owned by Green Safaris. I got in the hammock for a while while I updated the trip journal.

We made our way out to the fire pit for a chat. It was just the four of us at the time. A nice young couple from London came by and joined us by the fire. They were honeymooning on their safari. We enjoyed talking with them.  We had enjoyed the Okavango Gin in Botswana, but we were treated to a Zambian gin here at Sindabezi.  Iconic African Gin, like the Botswanan Okavango Gin, isn't overpowering with botanicals but mixes well with the Fitch and Leedes Indian Tonic for an excellent G & T.

Baboons at Victoria Falls

The appetizer of butternut squash with ginger was outstanding and served as we sat around the fire. Several of us had gin and tonic or wine brought to the fire for us. We were called to our tables where we were served pan fried bream fillets along with a vegetable mix. Dessert was a lemon tart. We enjoyed everything.

We turned in right after dinner since we had an early departure for the rhino walk on Monday.